Most Recent Things to Do in Varkkala

varkala beach

the papanasham beach at varkala is a nature lovers delight. above the beach are tall red laterite cliffs and just next to the sea are freshwater mineral springs !!!!!!

i have been to kovalam beach and was absolutely devastated by what i saw. the beach shows how uncontrolled tourism can play havoc with the beach. also the shops and shanties of rowdy businessmen gives you no privacy or peace of mind.

varkala is so far unspoilt but god forbid it should not go the kovalam way.alrady the cliff has been taken over by shopkeeepers and small bars.

however varkala gives you peace of mind. best way to start is early morning even before sunrise and see the various shades of ocean and sky.

early morning you can see a lot of activity on beach with fishermen using traditional methods to bring in the catch.small boats carved out of single piece of wood or multiple logs atached to each other are seen on the beach.

Related to:

Eco-Tourism

Beaches

Romantic Travel and Honeymoons

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Janardhana Temple

Apart from the beach, about the only thing worth visiting in the immediate area is this temple which is about 300m inland from the beach. It is a 900 year old temple, which is an important Vaishnavaite shrine in India and is referred to as Dakshin Kashi (Benares of the south). The main deity is Sri Janarthana Swami who is found in a standing position facing towards the east. The temple has an ancient bell removed from a shipwreck, donated by the captain of the Dutch vessel which sank near Varkala without any casualties.

Related to:

Architecture

Historical Travel

Religious Travel

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Varkala beach

The beach is what makes Varkala a haven for tourists and it's the only place in southern Kerala where you can find cliffs adjacent to the Arabian Sea. The cliffs are a unique geological feature in the otherwise flat Keralan coast, and are known among geologists as Varkala Formation and a geological monument as declared by the Geological survey of India. The beach, itself, is only about 1km long and fairly wide and is home to a number of beach activities such as football, beach volleyball, running and cricket.

Varkala is located about 50km (30 miles) north-west of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) and is known as a tourist beach resort which stretches along a cliff that overlooks the beach. The cliffs are a...